There is a Bible story that I love which you might be familiar with. In 1 Kings 19 the prophet Elijah had fled and hid in a cave due to a death threat from Queen Jezebel.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13).
A gentle whisper. That is so beautiful to me, to think of the Lord speaking to us in a gentle whisper. But I believe it also reveals a lot as well. Many Christians say that God does not speak to them. God does speak to His children. But could it be that either we are not listening or we have too much noise that drowns God out?
In today’s society we have a lot of “noise” all around us. Noise can be literal noise, such as talking, the radio, television, etc. Many people cannot stand silence and always have to have noise of this kind. I am sure we all know someone who has to turn on the radio when they are driving. But noise can also be figurative noise. Many of us tend to stay very busy, running from one thing to the next. We might be in a quiet room, but we do not slow down long enough to notice it. I have learned that if we want to hear from God, we need to turn down the noise in our lives.
When my husband and I travel to the mountains, we often stay in a cabin. I remember one particular cabin had a sign hanging up that I loved. On the sign were these words: “Let us be silent so that we may hear the voice of God.” So simple and beautiful, yet so profound.
How exactly do we turn down the noise and hear from God?
1 – Spend quiet time with Him daily. This includes reading your Bible and praying, but we need time to sit quietly as well. Too often our “quiet” time with God is filled with our petitions. It is also essential that we sit quietly and allow the Lord to speak to us.
2 – Ask the Lord to speak to you. I do this a lot, especially when I am trying to make a particular decision. God wants to be a part of our lives, but He might be waiting for us to take that step towards Him.
3 – Get outdoors. There is something special about being outside in nature. I always feel closer to God when I have only the sky above. You can take a prayer walk and listen for His gentle whisper.
4 – Remove noise. In your daily routines, try to lay aside things that are “noisy.” This could mean taking some activities off of your plate if you know you are doing too much. And it could also mean spending less time on social media, so you have more time with God. We have so many things coming at us, our heads become filled with the world. We need to make space in our hearts for the Lord’s gentle whisper.
Let’s make it our goal to consistently seek God and His gentle whisper!
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© 2020 Bridget A. Thomas
Christians Read 
Loved reading this….just yesterday I was reading a plan about God’s whisper and they sited the same portion of scripture…bumping into this post now is really a sign, a call for me to take time and listen to His whispers. Thank you so much.
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Oh my goodness! I love when God nudges us like that! So beautiful! I am glad you enjoyed the post! 😊
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In another of your latest posts you mentioned multitasking and that maybe we should focus on just one task at a time to do it well. How can we listen for His whisper if we are doing all the talking? How can we hear His answers if we are doing several other things at the same time? I appreciate your reminding me to slow down and listen..not only with my ears but with my heart. Blessings to you Bridget!
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Such good points you made! I agree! I long to hear more of God’s gentle whispers. But I know I have to do my part to slow down and remove noise from my life. I am so glad you enjoyed the post! Blessings to you too, my friend! 💚
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I remember having a conversation with a lady who said that God has never spoken to her and she was kind of resigned to the fact that she will not hear from Him. She assumed it will only be in a loud and profound booming way. I remember telling her that God speaking is almost always in a quiet voice and a quiet way so we have to be paying attention and also like you said drown out the noise. Your post just brought back that conversation and also reminded me to ensure that I am attuned to when He whispers and not keep my life so busy and noisy that I miss His voice.
Thanks for this reminder and blessings to you my dear friend 😊💙.
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Thank you for sharing that story! That is beautiful. I hope the lady took your advice to heart. In our fast paced world, it is especially difficult. I pray we can learn to listen for that gentle whisper. Blessings to you too, my friend! 💕
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Yes, walking alone and asking God to speak, after reading His word, is one of my favorite ways to hear from Him.
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That is beautiful! Thanks for sharing that! I love getting outdoors to be with God too! ❤️
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Excellent words, Bridget. This goes well with one of my favorite verses, Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God…” Hearing from Him is essential and we do have to be quiet to listen. Thank you for sharing.
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That is a beautiful verse from the Psalms! Thank you for sharing that one. Making space for His voice can be challenging sometimes. But it’s possible! And what a blessing it is when we do that. Thanks so much for commenting! 💜
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I always love the idea of silence and especially in nature. I picked up a friend today and we walked a short trail on a property I that is like a country oasis in the middle of a city of nearly 400,000 people. We only saw about 6 other people there. The peace was wonderful. We weren’t there to pray, but we just soaked in the peace and quiet and beauty.
I have my prayer time just about as soon as I get up in the morning, after I get dressed. Often I spend several hours reading, praying, and hearing from the Lord. I have a friend who is struggling with memory issues and wondering if she is really saved. She says she never hears God speaking to her. It’s really hard to try to explain it to someone.
I often think that people are silently screaming and wanting to get their own way and might not hear the Lord even if He did shout at them. At the same time, the enemy is shouting in their ear to complicate the whole matter. We really do have to create that quiet place where we are able to hear that gentle whisper. It’s beautiful when we discern it.
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The trail sounds so beautiful and serene! Being outdoors, whether praying or not, can bring peace to the soul. Maybe because we are in God’s creation. Your morning routine sounds perfect to me. Spending that time with God is priceless. I am sorry for your friend. I pray for her memory issues, I pray she embraces her salvation, and I pray she learns to hear from the Lord. You are right, it can be hard to explain. It is just a deep feeling inside that we know something came from God. I agree! People’s own thoughts and the enemy’s shouts can definitely get in the way. So making space for God is vital. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your heart. God bless!
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